Selcouth Lamprophony
by the-glass-and-glitter
Summary: chapter two x She gave Sibylla a hard look since the ferret's paw had begun to inch towards her dagger even though they were sorely outnumbered.
1. Chapter 1: What we call Unexpected

summary: Peace such as this can make one forget about the fact that even in a place as secure as Redwall, there's always danger, whether it's visible or not.

note: I do not own _redwall, _or _the dead man's tale_

"_In times long passed a lie was told, a lie that for many pales, the lie that is as ages old; 'Dead men tell no tales'"_

The inhabitants of Redwall were always known as peaceable creatures. So many quiet seasons had passed without sight of rat, weasel, fox or stoat. Peace such as this can make one forget about the fact that even in a place as secure as Redwall, there's always danger, whether it's visible or not.

"Abbess Mary, how have you been faring?" A compact looking squirrel inquired, fiddling with her somewhat ragged peach coloured habit.

"Well," The Abbess replied, giving the squirrel maid a slight nod before adding slightly, "It'd be nice to see more young ones around here, though."

"But they're so troublesome!" The maid remarked, glancing up at the Abbess before putting a paw to her forehead and squinting her eyes up at the sun. "And when there are youngster's running around, there always seems to be some other catastrophe to go along with them!"

"Oh, stop viewing things so negatively, Octave," The mouse commented lightly, sweeping her eyes over the abbey's grounds. "Now come on, we'd better get inside before it gets too cold."

After a small nod in agreement, the squirrel scurried after the Abbess, pulling up her habit so she wouldn't fall.

x

"'Ey, Anastasia, where are we goin'?" One voice sounded in the quiet, disrupting a nest of Red Kytes.

"Church ruins," Came the quiet answer, which in comparison to the original speaker would have been a lot easier to listen to.

"When are we gonna get there?" The first voice came again, presumably Anastasia, sounding slightly impatient. "You said we'd be there by 'ow."

"Shut yer' yap, I'm thinking." The second voice snapped, which put the Kytes into a flitting bundle of feathers.

"Aye, and didn't you say sumthin' about them otters? The ones that don't live at the…er…"

"Redwall Abbey, Sibylla." Anastasia murmured, a slightly pained expression coming on to her cream and white face.

Sibylla, a somewhat sketchy looking ferret sniffed, tracing her claws along the bulge of the dagger she had hidden under a sash she had wrapped loosely around her chest.

"Aint any badger mums at the abbey, are there?" The ferret inquired, pulling back her lips into a scowl, probably remembering a passed encounter.

"Most recent one dropped last season." Anastasia informed her, plucking at a willow plant as they passed by before borrowing Sibylla's dagger to fashion it into a switch. "We'll be in the clear far as getting passed the abbey and to the church 'thout being seen."

The two then continued to walk in silence, Anastasia busy with whipping the air with her switch until it made a snapping sound and Sibylla brandishing her dagger.

x

It soon started to grow colder, the sun's rays now beginning to touch the tops of the hills in the east. By then they'd reached what looked like a small rise. To get to the St. Ninian's church's ruins, the two had had to go south, skirting the abbey. Considering a number of the abbey's inhabitants were from St. Ninian's ( only concerning the dormice that lived there,) it had been assumed that the ruin's would have been empty, since the dormice only revisited the place a few times on occasion. But wouldn't it be just there luck to find themselves surrounded by rats?


	2. Chapter 2: Two suspects?

note x I don't own _redwall _or_ the deadman's tale_

asdfghj these short chapters ;A; they'll get longer once i know where im going with it

_x_

"_Billy Boughs had been a happy man, a man who claimed no foes. But yet someone he had annoyed, for dead was Billy Boughs."_

_Think passive resistance._ The sun was just casting its last rays over the land now, and it was quiet, the scraping of claws against stone and their breathing being the only exception. Glancing around calmly, Anastasia noted that the rats held back, shifting from paw to paw as if they wanted to attack but weren't allowed. She gave Sibylla a hard look since the ferret's paw had begun to inch towards her dagger even though they were sorely outnumbered.

Raising her voice so that she could be heard all around the clearing, the sandy furred stoat drew in a breath and said, "We're travelers, merely trying to find a place to stay for the night. May we talk to whomever is leading you?"

A guilt trip, Anastasia reasoned, may not effect these rats, but maybe throwing her paws up and declaring that they weren't a threat would.

In response, there was a unanimous shuffle as the sea of rats parted to reveal a smoky grey vixen. She seemed to pause and inspect the two before moving closer, and after doing so, Anastasia noticed the sun glinting off of the small studs in her left ear before glancing at trinket in her jaws. It looked like a bell really, round and almost the size of her paw. Scratched and dirtied, she inferred that the vixen must have had it for a while.

The rasping voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "And who might you be?"

Glancing up to meet her onyx orbs, Anastasia introduced herself, "I'm Anastasia, an' this be Sibylla…my friend."

_Hopefully she didn't notice her pause in speech. _

"Aye," came Sibylla's short word of agreement. "…Nice to be meetin' yer."

Instead of answering with an introduction of her own, the smoky vixen said, "Follow me. And the rest of ye," She seemed to be fixing the whole lot of beasts with a stern glare before finishing, "Disperse."

Sibylla glanced at her, half questioningly before they both followed the fox who was moving at a quick trot.

X

"Sit." It was more of a command than it was an option.

The vixen had led them to the edge of the clearing after the rats had left and returned to their usual businesses. This space was sparse except for the occasional bush, which they'd settled next to.

Quick as to not arouse suspicion, Anastasia crouched low, pressing her back against a broken pillar before motioning for her companion to do the same.

Sibylla plopped down next to her, eyes fixing on the vixen who had yet to say anything besides a command.

"My name," She began, dropping her trinket onto the ground in front of her, "is Vasiliki. Tell me why yer here."

"We're travelers, and we need a place to stay for the night. Now hoping that you're willing…""Something in return." Vasiliki interrupted, shifting her gaze from one beast to the other. "We'd be needin' somethin' in return."

"Like wat?" Sibylla inquired, furrowing her brows.

At this, Vasiliki's mouth curled upwards into a wily grin.


End file.
